Product consistency testing of three reference glasses in stainless steel and perfluoroalkoxy resin vessels

Abstract

Because of their chemical durability, silicate glasses have been proposed and researched since the mid-1950s as a medium for incorporating high-level radioactive waste (HLW) generated from processing of nuclear materials. A number of different waste forms were evaluated and ranked in the early 1980s; durability (leach resistance) was the highest weighted factor. Borosilicate glass was rated the best waste form available for incorporation of HLW. Four different types of vessels and three different glasses were used to study the possible effect of vessel composition on durability test results from the Production Consistency Test (PCT). The vessels were 45-m 304 stainless steel vessels, 150-m 304 L stainless steel vessels, and 60-m perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) fluoropolymer resin vessels. The three glasses were the Environmental Assessment glass manufactured by Corning Incorporated and supplied by Westinghouse Savannah River company, and West Valley Nuclear Services reference glasses 5 and 6, manufactured and supplied by Catholic University of America. Within experimental error, no differences were found in durability test results using the 3 different glasses in the 304L stainless steel or PFA fluoropolymer resin vessels over the seven-day test period.